Back in April, it was discovered that the iPhone accounted for more than half of Verizon’s smartphone sales during the first quarter of 2012. That impressive lead for Apple has since shrunk, however, as the mobile carrier today in announcing its second quarter earnings results revealed that it has sold 2.7 million iPhones, down from 3.2 million in the previous quarter.

The iPhone still represented 45 percent of Verizon’s overall smartphone sales of 5.9 million, although the handset once held a 55 percent sales stake back in the fourth quarter of 2011. Nevertheless, this type of iPhone sales decline is common as consumers anticipate the expected launch of the next-generation iPhone, perhaps taller and thinner in design, in the coming months.

Verizon competitors AT&T and Sprint are expected to post their own quarterly earnings results in the near future. Apple too will report its second quarter financial results next Tuesday, July 24, including its global sales numbers for the iPhone, iPad, iPod and Mac.